By Tyler Banark

Colleen Hoover has become a hot commodity for book adaptations in recent years. First, there was 2024’s It Ends with Us, which, while I personally thought was pretty fine, a lot of audiences felt otherwise, and the trial between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni made it age like milk. Then, there was last fall’s Regretting You, an abysmal teen drama that so badly wanted to be like a John Green novel. Now, we have Reminders of Him, which has fallen right between the previous two movies. It’s a movie that has its heart in the right place, but it does feature standout performances from its two leads, Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers. 

After being in jail for six years for accidentally killing her boyfriend, Scotty, Kenna (Monroe) finds herself struggling to get her life back together. She can’t find a job, her daughter is in the custody of Scotty’s grieving parents, and she lives in a rundown apartment with only a couch to sleep on. Her hope changes when she meets NFL player-turned-bartender Ledger (Withers). Initially having hate in his heart for Kenna, the two eventually fall in love as Kenna tries to mend the fence with Scotty’s parents and meet her daughter. That synopsis already makes for a strong narrative, but, like Hoover’s other two movies, Reminders of Him feels shallow thanks to thinly written characters, uninspiring story beats, and in overall execution. 

However, luck is on this movie’s side, as Reminders of Him finds Monroe and Withers anchoring it with controlled gravitas. Neither has a loud scene, but sometimes, that isn’t needed to make a strong case. Monroe captures the essence of Kenna going through the wringer of post-prison life. Meanwhile, Withers turns in a role that rebounds his one-dimensional work in last fall’s horror flop Him. Also, does anyone find it funny that his follow-up movie to Him is called Reminders of Him? I do, but I digress. Regardless, he and Monroe are great separately and just as strong when they’re on screen together. Their chemistry works and feels more in tune than that of Lively and Baldoni in It Ends with Us and of both couples in Regretting You. This may be thanks to Hoover actually being attached to the movie as a screenwriter alongside Lauren Levine. Still, aside from them, the writing has missteps.

What makes Reminders of Him work even more is Vanessa Caswill’s direction! Her vision feels more persistent, as if an actual filmmaker is behind the camera. There’s a moment here where Ledger sends Kenna into his house across the street from Scotty’s parents, and the camera makes a long tracking shot out of it. We follow Ledger and Kenna as he hides her behind a bush in front of the garage, then leads her to his living room. It was a sweet moment to see in a movie like this, and I applaud Caswill and DP Tim Ives for it. Caswill also makes the creative choice to give all flashback scenes with Kenna and Scotty a slight lens flare. Some may find it slightly distracting, but I find it to be a neat way to display Kenna’s memories (or, while we’re at it, reminders). Through these choices, Caswill proves that there can be direction in adapting Hoover’s works.

While the bar may be low for Colleen Hoover movies now, Reminders of Him slightly raises it and offers a glimmer of life here. Largely in part to Monroe and Withers’ turns, there’s some believable romance to be found in Hoover’s works. Even if the hiccups and stale melancholia are still present, skeptics like myself should relax and feel at ease with how Reminders of Him turned out. It goes to show that sometimes it takes a couple of tries before finding your footing, and I believe Hoover is starting to get there. This much is reflected in the film with Kenna’s story: she wants to be with her daughter and get her life back. The road may not be pretty, and one’s thoughts may go in every direction during the process, but the end goal may be worth it.  

3 stars